By Thai Newsroom Reporters
ABHISIT VEJJAJIVA will likely be named Democrat leader again later this month but he could not do much to help restore the exponentially-ebbing popularity of the country’s oldest party or stop Democrat MPs from leaving for other camps during a run-up to a general election, speculated in the upcoming March, said a partisan source over the weekend.
Abhisit, a former prime minister who will likely be unrivalled in the naming for Democrat leader during a party caucus scheduled for Oct.18, to replace former party leader Chalermchai Sri-on who had recently resigned, would almost certainly find the planned restoration of the party’s hypes an uphill task in the face of the nationwide race to parliament whereas many of the 25 current Democrat MPs and their former partisan colleagues were desperately looking to depart for “more promising” camps for fear that their re-election attempts would otherwise fall through.
“Though the Democrat rank and file would undoubtedly anticipate Abhisit to return as party leader for a third time, he has already passed his prime and would not be able to do much to substantially revive and strengthen the divided, staggering party beyond the next general election.
“Coming back in company of the 61-year-old Abhisit to the party are mostly elderly persons who may re-register themselves for partisan membership whereas young generations would not be coming along,” said the partisan source who only spoke on condition of anonymity, referring to several former Democrat members of cabinet and lawmakers who had earlier left the party and stayed independent.
The Democrat’s credibility and reputation as an Old-School conservative party had sharply faltered and declined since Chalermchai during his time as Democrat secretary-general, apparently made an unprecedented U-turn in his personal preferences from an anti-coup-junta stand to a pro-coup-junta one, almost immediately rendering general partisan members and supporters appalled and speechless, according to critics.
Abhisit had not only adopted headstrong antagonism against a military-installed regime such as the likes of those under former army chief-turned-coup leader-turned-prime minister Prayut Chan-o-cha but Thaksinism which had remained in power before de facto Pheu Thai boss-turned-inmate Thaksin Shinawatra had fled the country in self-exile abroad over the last couple of decades and finally returned home over the last couple of years.
Abhisit resolutely resigned as party leader and Democrat MP in apparent protest of the historic event in which Chalermchai had manipulated to render the party’s rank and file and partisan supporters surprised and appalled by bringing the Democrat into coalition with a previous government under Prayut after the 2019 election and then with Thaksin’s camp following the 2023 election.
In particular, defection en masse among Democrat MPs currently representing southern constituencies will likely occur during the run-up to the nationwide race to parliament with most being anticipated to skip over to the Bhumjaithai under de facto party boss Newin Chidchob whilst the Klatham under de facto party boss Thammanat Prompao would probably be contemplated as an alternative.
At best, Abhisit would probably tempt some prominent figures into contesting the general election under the Democrat tickets for MP seats of Bangkok which are prevalently occupied by the People’s whilst most of the 60 southern constituencies would be left to contesting against others without substantial help from the party headquarters in the capital city if they finally chose to stay put with their current camp.
Former Democrat leaders Chuan Leekpai, Banyat Bantattan and Jurin Laksanavisit would helplessly continue to run in party-listed mode alongside Abhisit who would likely top the list of partisan contestants for prime minister in the general election speculated in the upcoming March or April, leaving those contesting southern constituencies in constituency-based mode to vie against their Bhumjaithai, Klatham and Prachachart rivals, among others.
Apart from Abhisit, the trio of former Democrat leaders are currently MPs who have usually cast their votes on legislations and motions at parliament in different directions from those attached to Chalermchai who would probably have his protege MPs join ranks with Newin’s or Thammanat’s camps to augment their chances of maintaining MP seats in the next election.
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Top and Front Page: Former prime minister Abhisit Vejjajiva. Both photos – Thai Rath
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